For a long, suffocating moment, the room stayed heavy with silence. Theo’s nerves frayed with every heartbeat. Rina shifted uneasily beside him, and Samantha, standing just behind them, looked as though her legs might give way at any second.
Then, at last, Liam moved. His eyes, sharp and burning, locked on Samantha. His voice came rougher than intended, spilling out before he could restrain it.
“What… what are you doing here?” he demanded, disbelief cracking through his usually steady tone. “Why are you in their company?”
Samantha froze. Her lips parted, but no words came. Fear swelled inside her chest like a rising tide. With Damian’s presence pressing down on her like a storm, she dared not utter a single excuse.
Damian’s gaze flicked lazily between them, his patience visibly thinnin
